IndyStar.com: Legislature
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Lawmakers won't block forest logging
The path was cleared for the state to log in the back-country area of Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood state forests today, as a state legislative committee did not back proposed bill to protect the area. State Reps. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, and Ralph...
Lawmakers to meet on district mapping
Whether Indiana should revamp how it draws state legislative and congressional districts will be considered Tuesday by a committee of lawmakers. The Census Data Advisory Committee, a bipartisan panel from both the House and Senate, will hold a...
IU, Kenley reach deal so 2 construction projects can move ahead
Sen. Luke Kenley will allow two Indiana University construction projects to move forward after reaching agreement with the school over tuition increases. For the past month, Kenley has railed against IU and Purdue University for their respective 4.6...
New batch of laws goes into effect today
Whether you’re a teenager devoted to your cell phone or a teacher who’s had it up to here with unruly kids, new Indiana laws going into effect today will affect you. Here’s what you need to know if you are: You’ll have to keep...
Daniels pleased by budget compromise
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says taxpayers came out ahead in the special legislative session that ended Tuesday. STATE BUDGET:Budget brings good, bad news for state schools Daniels said today that the two-year, $27.8 billion budget bill was a product...
Budget brings good, bad news for state schools
Daniels signs $27.8B, 2-year plan in time to avoid state shutdown Indiana’s lawmakers passed a $27.8 billion two-year budget Tuesday that supporters touted as a triumph in a recession but critics said came at the expense of students in urban...
Legislators may vote on budget today
Lawmakers must pass bill by tonight to avoid shutdown A vote is expected today on a new state budget that gives Democrats and Republicans some, though not all, of what they wanted for education. If approved by the legislature, the deal would avert a...
A shutdown would ripple far beyond Statehouse
Ashley Graves, a 23-year-old Franklin resident, has a special reason for hoping legislators strike a deal. Her wedding is scheduled for Saturday in the Statehouse. Monday morning, the state called to say that if there is no budget, there will be no...
Progress on budget is steady but slow
Lawmakers continue effort to avert shutdown Facing a midnight Tuesday deadline to enact a new state budget, key lawmakers spent the weekend holed up in the Statehouse in hopes of resolving their differences over K-12 education and other critical...
If lawmakers don't pass a new budget, what then?
Many services and jobs at risk if Tuesday’s deadline isn’t met Prisons in lockdown. State vendors going unpaid. Thousands of state employees on furlough. Even funerals for the indigent placed on hold. All are potential consequences if...
Daniels takes budget fight to the public
Push House Democrats to pass GOP plan, governor asks Hoosiers TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Saying his “patience has worn thin,” Gov. Mitch Daniels went on the offensive Wednesday, making stops around the state to urge Hoosiers to pressure...
Democrats open budget talks with testimony
The first negotiating session between lawmakers over the state budget got off to a rocky start Wednesday. Instead of talking about their differences, Democrats brought in witnesses — including the presidents of several Indiana universities, to...
Democrats propose a 1-year state budget
They say the plan protects schools; Republicans call it ‘anti-taxpayer’ Democrats introduced their version of a state budget Friday, saying it was crafted to protect Indiana’s schools from “devastating” funding cuts...
Daniels pitches special session budget
Every school district in Indiana still would see an increase in K-12 funding over the next two years, Gov. Mitch Daniels announced tonight in a brief television address outlining his latest budget proposal. Daniels spoke for five minutes, giving a...
Daniels to speak on special session
Gov. Mitch Daniels tonight will deliver a brief, five-minute live television address laying out his budget proposal for the special legislative session he will call this month. State lawmakers failed to pass a new, two-year state budget during their...
Teens ready to mute the ban on driving with cell phones
Jackson Whiteker doesn’t drive yet, but he’s already found a traffic law he’s willing to break: the one that bans anyone younger than 18 from talking on a cell phone while driving. The law, passed last month, goes into effect in...
Gambling lobby rolls dice on special session
Casinos hope revenue-raising plans find favor as lawmakers try again to craft a budget When lawmakers return to the Statehouse in June for a second shot at hammering out a new state budget, it also will mark a second chance for Indiana’s...
Next step for state budget comes Tuesday
Legislative leaders want governor to call special session for mid-June Lawmakers will make another attempt to craft a two-year state budget beginning Tuesday and are encouraging Gov. Mitch Daniels to call the special legislative session to pass that...
Lawmakers split on next move in special session
Both sides trade insults after budget bill fails; all agree time is necessary before special session Gov. Mitch Daniels accused House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer of “prevarication, invention, maybe hallucination.” Bauer called the governor a...
Legislature will go into special session
Lawmakers fail to reach compromise on money for schools, reserve fund. State lawmakers, divided over education spending and how much to set aside in reserves, failed to pass a state budget late Wednesday night and will now have to return in a special...
Lawmakers hammer out last-day deals
Approved: puppy mill, unemployment insurance and teen driving measures State lawmakers voted Wednesday to raise taxes on businesses to fix the state’s bankrupt unemployment insurance fund, overwhelmingly passed legislation cracking down on...
Special session now unavoidable
Special legislation session now unavoidable after state budget bill fails House tonight on 27-71 vote. With the clock ticking down toward the midnight deadline, lawmakers remained stymied on an agreement on a new two-year state budget. Failure would...
Deal reached on 'puppy mill' provisions
Two key lawmakers have reached a tentative agreement on legislation that would strengthen the state’s animal-abuse laws and regulate commercial breeders. Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, and Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, struck a deal this...
CIB answer likely won't include Colts, Pacers
As clock ticks down, legislators say any Statehouse action may be inadequate to fund shortfall Lawmakers may be able to reach a deal today on a plan to bail out Indianapolis’ struggling sports board, but whatever they pass will not assume...
Prospects shaky for CIB bailout bill
Prospects for the passage of legislation to bail out the city’s struggling sports board appeared shaky this afternoon as lawmakers worked toward tonight’s midnight deadline to reach a deal. Mayor Greg Ballard has proposed an array of local tax...
General Assembly may head into overtime
As midnight deadline nears, Dems and GOP are still $100M apart on state budget The threat of a special session looms today, with Republican and Democratic lawmakers $100 million apart in their bid to craft a two-year state budget by midnight. Senate...
Jobless fund bill remains in flux
Tentative late-session deal has tax hike for businesses, no cuts in pay for unemployed A tentative deal between the state Senate and House to replenish Indiana’s depleted unemployment insurance fund appeared to be teetering as this year’s...
Fate of abortion bill up in the air
GOP accuses Democrats of adding $23M cancer-screening program to doom legislation’s chances State lawmakers hit a potentially insurmountable roadblock Monday over legislation that could make it harder for women to obtain abortions in Indiana....
Lawmakers huddle to fix jobless fund
As session deadline looms, thousands protest proposed cuts in eligibility Several thousand union workers packed the Statehouse on Monday to demand that their unemployment benefits not be cut as lawmakers scramble to resolve differences on how best to...
'Puppy mill' bill could inhibit local ordinances
GOP plan would weaken city rules, bill author says A push to crack down on abusive dog breeders ran into trouble Monday as lawmakers clashed over a provision that would bar municipalities from imposing tougher restrictions. That change and others...
